The best teams, the best players, and the best match-ups usually play on Christmas Day.

JANUARY: All-Star Nominees

Expect a lot of highlight plays in this month because players are starting to market themselves in order to make the All-Star Game.Quick Note: To be an all-star player, you'll have to get "voted-in" by the fans. More highlights equals more votes.

FEBRUARY: Trade deadline; All-Star Game

Blockbuster trades usually happen in this month.

You can also look forward to the following: Rookie Game, Three-Point Contest; Dunk Contest; and All-Star Game.image taken from: NBA.comMARCH and APRIL: March Madness, Jordan Brand Classic, and McDonald's All-American Games

March Madness is the college version of the NBA playoffs.

High School all stars can be seen playing in the Jordan Classic and McDonald's All-American games.Why are these events important? Because they're the future NBA stars.

image taken from: mcdonaldsallamerican.comMAY : NBA PlayoffsThe real NBA season! This is where the championship begins. Clear your schedule. Every game counts here...

JUNE: NBA Finals and NBA Draft.

A new champion is crowned in this month.

You will also get to see which teams the rookies will play for in the NBA draft.

JULY: 'Free Agent' period.

Big name players can now sign new contracts with their old teams, new teams, or just retire...

AUGUST: International Competition

During the offseason, International NBA players usually compete for their countries in international tournaments like the Olympics, EuroBasket, and the Asian Championship games.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

There's something unique in every NBA team... something they can call their own. Every team has a "one" and an "only", a "high" and a "lowly", a "most" and a... OK... OK... you got it...

There must be thousands of NBA records out there... but I'll only mention ONE for every team right here.

So here we go...

ATLANTA HAWKS The ONE: Jamal Crawford and his ONE hour game. He had a playing time of 60 minutes. The most minutes in a game by any player last season. How was this possible? That game had 3 overtimes!

BOSTON CELTICSThe MOST: Number of championships: 17. The MOST in history. Lakers are catching up though... they're 2 championships behind.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATSThe ONLY: Larry Brown is the ONLY person to win as a coach in the college level and as a coach in the NBA level. But he'll always be remembered as the coach who couldn't win a gold medal in the olympics with a team full of NBA players!

CHICAGO BULLS The MOST: Number of wins in a season: 72. The MOST in NBA history. Should have been 73 if you ask me... but they had that one unlucky game against Toronto that year (1996).

CLEVELAND CAVALIERSThe Chosen ONE: LeBron James won the MVP trophy last year. When you have that trophy, that means you're number ONE until someone takes it away...

DALLAS MAVERICKSTHE ONE: Jason Terry won the Sixth Man of the Year award... which is the NBA's way of saying "You're not good enough to start a game but hey... at least you're number ONE among the best of the rest."

DETROIT PISTONSThe MOST: Points in a game: 186. The MOST in NBA history. It happened in a game that went to 3 overtimes back in 1983... you know... when players did not know how to play defense.

DENVER NUGGETSThe ONLY: Maybyner Hilario is the ONLY player to have his nickname (Nené) appear at the back of his jersey. See photo.

Image by MtnMark from Flickr

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORSThe MOST: Dunks allowed: 418. The MOST (or worst?) of last season. The Warriors allowed teams to dunk on them 418 times?! That's a lot of NBA posters.

HOUSTON ROCKETSThe BEST: Starting a season with 15 straight wins? The BEST so far in NBA history... The Rockets achieved this in 1993, after Michael Jordan's first retirement. If Jordan didn't retire, who would be holding this NBA record right now: the Bulls? Or the Rockets? We'll never know...

INDIANA PACERSThe MOST: The "MOST Improved Player Award" went to Danny Granger . He deserves it... He attempted 7 game winning shots last year... and 5 went in! Jerry Maguire wants to show him the money!LOS ANGELES CLIPPERSThe WORST: Losing the first 17 games of a season? Possible! The Clippers did before and it's the WORST so far in NBA history... but the Clippers are happy because the New Jersey Nets have lost 16 in a row to start this year! The Clippers actually have a chance to pass this record on to the NETS...

LOS ANGELES LAKERSThe MOST: Kobe Bryant had 61 points in a game. The MOST by any player last year. Who was guarding him? MEMPHIS GRIZZLIESThe FEWEST: Playoffs appearances: 3. That's the FEWEST by any franchise that tried being in the playoffs. (Oklahoma Thunder have been to the playoffs... when they were known as the Seattle Sonics.)

MIAMI HEATThe FEWEST: Shots made in a game: 17. In March of 2008, the HEAT as a team only made 17 shots... the FEWEST ever! Any high school team can make 17 shots...

MILWAUKEE BUCKSThe ONE: The youngest ONE to score 50 or more points in a game is Brandon Jennings. 20 years and 7 weeks old.. He scored 55 points. What makes this even more impressive is that he had zero points in the first quarter and was just playing the 7th game of his career...MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVESThe MOST: The MOST points allowed to a single player in 1 quarter: 33. The Timberwolves allowed Carmelo Anthony to score 33 points on them in the 3rd quarter of a game last year. How can you let someone score 33 points in 12 minutes?! Seriously.

NEW JERSEY NETSThe MOST: The Nets hold the NBA record for MOST points scored in an overtime period: 25. In other words, they scored 25 points in 5 minutes. How did this happen? Simple. They were playing the Clippers... in the 90's...NEW ORLEANS HORNETSThe ONLY: Chris Paul is the ONLY player who holds the "most consecutive games with a steal" title. He made at least 1 steal, 106 games in a row! NEW YORK KNICKSThe MOST: Chris Duhon made the MOST assists in a game last season: 22. That's hard to do... considering that the team mates he passes the ball to are not superstars...

OKLAHOMA THUNDERThe NEWEST: The NBA records they hold are under the name Sonics... so right now... all I can say is that they're the NEWEST team. Welcome to the NBA...

ORLANDO MAGICThe ONE part 1: Dwight Howard had 1,093 rebounds, good for number ONE last season.The ONE part 2: Dwight Howard had 202 dunks, good for number ONE last season.The ONE part 3: Dwight Howard had 231 blocks, good for number ONE last season. Can you imagine what it's like to guard Dwight Howard?

PHILADELPHIA 76ERSThe MOST: The 100 points scored by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962 was the MOST in history and it's worth knowing... because it will never be beaten.

PHOENIX SUNSThe MOST: Points scored before halftime: 107. The Suns once scored 107 points in the first 24 minutes of a game. The MOST in NBA history. 107 points? That's the scoring average per game of an elite NBA team.PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERSThe MOST: Brandon Roy made 10 steals in one game. That was the MOST in a game last season. The NBA record is 11.

SACRAMENTO KINGSThe LAST: The Kings had the worst record last year. Only 17 wins... that puts them dead LAST in the league. No where to go but up I guess...SAN ANTONIO SPURSThe FEWEST: This team made 73 dunks. The FEWEST among NBA teams last year. To put that into perspective, the Denver Nuggets made 520 dunks last season... If someone asks you "What's the most boring team in the NBA?" Just say "Spurs!".

TORONTO RAPTORSThe ONE: The Raptors have made at least ONE 3-pointer a game since February of 1999. That NBA record is still going on... Yeah, it's been 10 years...

UTAH JAZZThe ONLY: Jerry Sloan is the ONLY person to coach the same team for 22 years. This has to be a World record... aside from being an NBA record!WASHINGTON WIZARDSThe MOST: Gilbert Arenas once scored 16 points in an overtime period. The MOST in NBA history. But with the way the game is being played today, someone might actually beat this record.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

You're in front of the TV... channel surfing... and then an NBA game passes by... do you ask yourself "is this game worth watching or should I change the channel?"

If you answered yes... then this blog's for you... this is about the rivalry, the match up, the game within the game, the back story, the drama, the style, the history... think of this as a "crash course" on what to look for in each team...

I will limit it to one topic per team because talking about everything will take two lifetimes to finish!

ATLANTA HAWKS: A mini rivalry between the Miami Heat is about to blow up... worth watching if they play against each other.

BOSTON CELTICS: If they're playing against Cleveland or Orlando, watch it! Celtics think they're number 1... and that only Cleveland and Orlando are in the way.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS: Nothing to see here... You can change the channel...

CHICAGO BULLS: Games are always tight if they're playing the Celtics...

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Watch it! Seriously. Every game, with LeBron James in it, is 'history in the making'. Your grandkids will think your cool if you tell them about LeBron...

DALLAS MAVERICKS: If it's against Golden State, watch it! No one will forget how Golden State beat Dallas in the playoffs a few years ago... It was like David versus Goliath... Everyone likes an underdog story. Plus the coach of Golden State Warriors used to coach the Dallas Mavericks...

DENVER NUGGETS: If it's a home game against the Lakers, watch it! Kobe Bryant was charged for raping a hotel employee in Denver several years ago... and fans never forget. It's like a suspect returning to the scene of the crime... awkward!

DETROIT PISTONS: The rivalry they had with the Bulls was one of the best... but that was back in the 90's, so you can change the channel now...

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: read DALLAS MAVERICKS.

HOUSTON ROCKETS: Trevor Ariza of the Rockets won a championship with the Lakers last season. Playing against former team will be tough...

INDIANA PACERS: "Knicks vs. Pacers" used to grab the headlines but that was before. Nothing to see here lately... unless they'll make the playoffs.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: Watching Blake Griffin play should be exciting... he was the number one college player last year. Is he worth the hype? I don't know! That's why we should watch...

LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Witness them as they try to defend the championship title ...and while you're at it, count the number of celebrities seated courtside... Let's see... Jack Nicholson, Jessica Alba, Posh Spice, Beckham, Turtle, Johnny Drama... uhm... I lost count...

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: Wait for a player named Marko Jaric (say Yah-Rich) to enter the game... coz when he does... the camera man will focus on his wife: Adriana Lima... Boom! Worth watching right there!

MIAMI HEAT: Dwyane Wade is a one-man wrecking crew... he can win games by himself. Entertaining to watch...

MILWAUKEE BUCKS: See the second coming of Allen Iverson... in the form of Brandon Jennings.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: If it's a home game against Boston... Kevin Garnett will be like a prodigal son returning to the city he called home...

NEW JERSEY NETS: Nothing to see here... unless you want to witness them get their first victory. Zero wins so far this season...

NEW YORK KNICKS: The Knicks are treating this season like a bunch of practice sessions... They're in rebuilding mode right now...

OKLAHOMA THUNDER: Remember the name Thabo Sefolosha. He's not a superstar player... but the superstar players that play against him will always have a bad game. He's a good defender.

ORLANDO MAGIC. They'll make it rain threes all game... 8 players on this team can shoot the 3 pointer... Bombs away!

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: Wait for any player to throw the ball in the direction of the rim... coz Andre Iguodala's gonna jump, grab that ball from it's flight path and dunk it home for 2 points before landing back in the ground... Whew!

PHOENIX SUNS: If you want scoring... then the Phoenix Suns are for you... they always score at least 100 points, win or lose...

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS: If it's against Denver, watch the game... Both teams won the same number of games last season, so right now it's about bragging rights...

SACRAMENTO KINGS: You can watch them play on TV... but only if there's nothing else to watch... Change the channel.

SAN ANTONIO: Watch this team play coz their dynasty is about to end... enjoy it while you can...

TORONTO RAPTORS: If it's against Orlando, watch it... Vince Carter used to play for the Raptors. He was the fan favorite. Everyone bought his jersey. Every game was sold out... and then he left. Heartbreak!

UTAH JAZZ: Watch Deron Williams vs. Chris Paul(Hornets). They have the same stats, because they play the same way... they even joined the NBA on the same day....

WASHINGTON WIZARDS: Washington vs. Cleveland is a good game... They played so many heart-stopping, trash-talking, attention-grabbing, fan-heckling, superstar-bashing games in the past 3 years... You'll wish the game never ends...

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

So, you're a new NBA fan... but you don't know where to start? You've come to the right place! This is my first blog and it will be about the 30 teams of the NBA. To become an NBA fan, you need to know the teams. I'm gonna narrow it down to 2 topics per team because it will take a lifetime to talk about everything! Plus it will be in semi-bullet form coz paragraphs can get boring... So here we go...Quick note: Each team plays 41 games in their home court (HOME games) and 41 games in their opponent's court (ROAD games).

Graphics by: cgbam1989 on deviantart

ATLANTA HAWKS

THE CITY: Atlanta, Georgia. NBA players love going to this city during road games and they usually don't bring their wives/girlfriends. Why? Because they have the best strip clubs... I heard...

THE PLAYER: Josh Smith. This guy doesn't score a lot but when he does, it's usually a memorable play and you'll end up seeing it in sports channels worldwide! Yeah, his highlight plays are that good...

THE PLAYERS: Kevin Garnett can score inside (that would be dunks and lay-ups), Ray Allen can score outside (jumpers, 3-pointers), and you have Paul Pierce (he can score anywhere)CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

THE OWNER: He's a billionaire who doesn't have to work so he bought this team and named it after himself. He's name is Bob. Why is he rich? He owns B.E.T. - Black Entertainment Television. Bob also hired Michael Jordan as a team official or something but it's just a job title. We all know that Jordan doesn't need to work too.

THE PLAYERS: Here's the thing... you don't need to know any of their players... They'll be relevant in two years though, then I'll let you know.CHICAGO BULLS

THE FRANCHISE: Michael Jordan made this franchise so famous... if you don't know this franchise, it's because you were born in the year 2004.

THE PLAYER: Derrick Rose. He won rookie of the year and he grew up in Chicago. Can you imagine playing for your city during home games? He can...CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

THE PLAYER: LeBron James is the Michael Jordan of the future. Enough said.

THE QUESTION: LeBron James is in the last year of his contract. Where will he play next year? We will know the answer on or before July 1, 2010.DALLAS MAVERICKS

THE LIFESTYLE: Team plane? First class. Locker Room? First class. If you're a free agent, join this team and live like a king. And to think that when MC Hammer songs used to rule the party scene, no one wanted to play here.... You've come a long way Dallas!

THE PLAYER: Dirk Nowitzki (say No-Veet-Ski ). He's a 7-footer who can shoot 3-pointers consistently. That's a rare thing in the NBA.DENVER NUGGETS

THE CITY: Denver, Colorado. This city is way above sea level. Players on road games always complain about the high altitude giving them breathing difficulties. If you have a good game here. You can have a good game anywhere.

THE PLAYER: Carmelo Anthony. This guy, who is sponsored by the Jordan Brand, only needs a few minutes to score a lot of points. Must be the shoes....

DETROIT PISTONS

THE FRANCHISE: Franchise owners wanted to pay tribute to Detroit for being the "Motor City" by naming their team after an engine part: a piston.

THE PLAYER: Charlie Villanueva. If you're watching a Detroit Pistons game and you see a player with no hair, no eyebrows, or no beard, that's him. He has this rare condition that doesn't allow hair to grow on his head and face. I heard he saves a lot on shampoo and shaving cream. So it can't be that bad...

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

THE TRIVIA: California is the 'Golden State' so it's only natural for their home games to be played in Oakland, California.

THE PLAYER: Corey Maggette. His family name rhymes with spaghetti. This guy can make 6 shots in a row, after missing 6 shots in a row. He's that streaky or inconsistent.HOUSTON ROCKETS

THE FRANCHISE: Franchise owners wanted a name that reflects motion because San Diego was known as the "City of Motion". So they were called the San Diego Rockets before moving to Houston. New owners did not change the team name because Houston was known for the NASA program that sent rockets to outer space. So now we have the Houston Rockets.

THE PLAYER: Trevor Ariza. The sidekick for the Lakers last year becomes the main man for the Rockets this year. Can he handle being The Man?

INDIANA PACERS

THE COLOR: I'm not racist but this has to be the whitest team in the NBA.

THE PLAYER: Danny Granger. He either made the game tying shot or game winning shot in every close game he played in.LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

THE CURSE: Every time something good happens to this team, something bad will follow.

THE PLAYER: Blake Griffin. The best rookie they got for this year injured his knee right before the season started. See?! The curse... got worse...

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

THE SITUATION: They won last year and are trying to win it again this year. The only player they lost was replaced by an even better one. So things are looking good for this team.

THE PLAYER: Kobe Bryant. If Lebron James is the Michael Jordan of the future, then Kobe is the Michael Jordan of the present. (Oh... Coach Phil Jackson is a 'player' too. He's dating the team owner's daughter. That's gossip right? Yeah, welcome to L.A.)

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

THE FRANCHISE: Started out as the Vancouver Grizzlies because of the Grizzly Bear population up north... but the problem with the people up north is that they pay too much attention to Hockey... so the team transferred to Memphis.

THE PLAYER: Rudy Gay. Their number 1 player was the reason why fans filled up the stadium. Too bad his jersey is one of the worst when it comes to sales. Must be the surname...

MIAMI HEAT

THE CITY: Miami, Florida. Everything here is beautiful. The buildings. The beaches. The bars. The Bentleys... and The Cheerleaders.

THE PLAYER: Dwyane Wade. He scored a season-high 30 points a game. Why? Because his defenders were looking at the cheerleaders...

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

THE PLAYER: Michael Redd. After this guy shoots a 3-pointer... wait for the replay... then watch him shoot the ball again... study it... coz that's how a 'quick release jumper' looks like... in slow motion.

THE 3 POINT PLAY: The Double Screen Trap is hard to explain but I'll try. The guy dribbling the ball will "pretend" to call out a play... but in reality... his two biggest team mates are already Double Screen Trapping the defender of Michael Redd... So Redd runs out to the 3 point line... receives the ball and then... Boom! ...3-pointer's on the way to the basket... even before the defense can recover... (I should be a commentator.)

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

THE PLAYER: Ricky Rubio. He has a contract to play in Europe for the next two years.

THE CITY: Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have a great football team (The Vikings) so no one really pays attention to basketball here... but that won't be the case when Ricky Rubio arrives. See you in the year 2011.NEW JERSEY NETS

THE OWNER: Jay-Z. Yes, Beyonce's husband... he's moving the team to Brooklyn. Soon.

THE SITUATION: Bad. Experts are saying they'll finish in the bottom 5 this season.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

THE TENANT: This team had to "rent" Oklahoma City's home court when Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans...

THE PLAYER: Chris Paul is an Olympic Gold Medalist, an All-Star Player, and his first NBA dunk was against Dwight Howard. What makes this special? Howard is 11 inches taller...

NEW YORK KNICKS

THE ARENA: Madison Square Garden. It's the holy place of basketball... It's the NBA's version of the Vatican City.

THE PLAYER: Their superstar player is arriving next year. We just don't know who yet...OKLAHOMA THUNDER

THE FRANCHISE: Remember the Seattle SuperSonics? Because this is the Seattle SuperSonics with a new name and a new city.

THE PLAYER: Kevin Durant. He's the best player... among teams with losing records. Ouch!

ORLANDO MAGIC

THE PLAYER: Dwight Howard claims to be superman... and his kryptonite is free throw shooting...

THE STATUS: They were second place last year... but they don't like it because nobody cares who got second place.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

THE HISTORY: The Declaration of Independence was signed here in the year 1776. So the franchise owners named the team "76ers".

THE FRANCHISE: Started in New Orleans and were called the "Jazz" because of the music scene down there...

THE CITY: Salt Lake City. There's nothing to do here. That's why when teams visit Utah for a road game, they bring with them their entire DVD collection!

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

THE FRANCHISE: They were known as the "Bullets" but team owners changed the name to "Wizards" because when you hear the word bullet, violence comes to mind. But now, when you hear the team name, you'll be thinking of Harry Potter...

THE NUMBER: Zero. Gilbert Arenas wears jersey number zero because he heard negative comments about him having zero minutes in his NBA career...